uter Latin · revision 5185

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=Livius Andronicus|origins=ine-pro *kʷóteros}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA (Classical): [ˈʊ.tɛr]^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈuː.ter]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''uter''' (feminine utra, neuter utrum); first/second-declension pronoun (nominative masculine singular in -er, pronominal declension)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|itc-pro|*kʷoteros|t=which of two]], [[inh|ine-pro|*kʷo-tero-|t=which of two]].^(de Vaan 2008)^(Wiktionary) De Vaan explains the Latin ''u'' from the interrogative stem *kʷu- of [[ubī]] and [[unde]], while Sabellic kept *potero-.^(de Vaan 2008) Cognate with [[osc|pútereípíd|t=in each of the two]], [[sa|कतर|tr=katará|t=which of two]], [[grc|πότερος|tr=póteros|t=which of two]], [[got|𐍈𐌰𐌸𐌰𐍂|tr=ƕaþar|t=which of two]] and [[ang|hwæþer]] ([[en|whether]]).^(de Vaan 2008)^(OLD 2012)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ De Vaan dates it from Livius Andronicus.^(de Vaan 2008) Köbler dates his career to before 200 BC.^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ It was an interrogative “which of the two?”, a relative “whichever of the two”, and an indefinite “either of two”, mostly in negative or conditional clauses.^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary) Its family includes [[uterque]] “each of the two”, [[neuter]] “neither” and [[utervīs]] “whichever you please”.^(de Vaan 2008)

+

+ The genitive ''utrīus'' is sometimes scanned short in Horace.^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * before 200 BC – Livius Andronicus uses it.^(de Vaan 2008)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses ''utriscum'' “with which of the two”.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 81–43 BC – Cicero asks which of two causes should be thought popular.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Pronoun===

+ # ''(interrogative)'' Which of the two?^(OLD 2012)

+ # ''(relative)'' Whichever of the two.^(OLD 2012)

+ # ''(indefinite)'' Either of the two, one or the other.^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[utercumque]]

+ * [[uterlibet]]

+ * [[utervīs]]

+ * [[utrinde]]

+ * [[utrubi]]

+ * [[alteruter]]

+ * [[neuter]]

+ * [[uterque]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[en|whether]]

+ * [[en|neuter]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Two different nouns share the form: [[la|uter|alt=ūter]] (genitive ''ūtris''), a leather bag for wine or water, which de Vaan thinks may be inherited from *udri- “water vessel”, comparing [[grc|ὑδρία|tr=hudría|t=water pot]], and ''uter'' (genitive ''uterī''), a variant of [[uterus]].^(de Vaan 2008)^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}